This invention addresses the energy efficiency of electronic systems, thereby significantly reducing power consumption. This invention addresses in particular application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or System-on-Chips (SoCs).
Previous methods of increasing battery life for an ASIC device meant increasing the capacity of the battery. This can be done by either improving the battery technology or increasing the size of the battery. However, in some instances, lower power consumption (extended battery life) may be a viable tradeoff for operational speed of the ASIC, especially if by operating the ASIC device in the subthreshold region of operation, the power reduction can be orders of magnitude less. This negates the need for larger, heavier and more costly batteries.